The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-29
THE GAS SUPPLY

THE GAS SUPPLY.
Prof N. s. Shaler has an article in the any,
rent number of the Forum on the natural gas
supply which is of timely interest. His
views as to the source of the deposit coincide
with those advanced by Professors Coulter.
Thompson and other scientists in the columns
OF the Journal, but having gone somewhat
further than these gentlemen in his inyest;-
cations, he has reached the conclusion that
the Mississippi valley section of the country.
and but small part of it, can be alone looked
to as a field of supply in any quantities. the
eastern slopes of the Appalachians and the
country from the Rocky mountains west hav.
ing been subjected to geological pressure and
upheavals such as would undoubtedly excel
the gas.
Another point suggested is deserving of
attention by those who are looking at the re-
suits arising from the use of gas in the broad
sense of its benefit to the community
rather than with a view to personal
gas fields are being rapidly exhausted, and
that State ownership, or control Of the gas
fields by capitalists who shall operate them
economically and conservativey, are the only
things that can prevent scandalous waste Our
private ownership of land he considers the
greatest enemy of the durability of the supply.
This is matter which future legislation
will perhaps be called upon to consider but
in the meantime the warning should not be
lost on the private owners of wells and an
effort should be made to check the waste
which every observer has noted in regions
where the supply is not Immediately utilized.
The writer expresses another opinion which is
OF special interest as going to show that this
favored region is not likely to be called on to
share its advantages with foreign competitors
He says:
Eat present the use of natural gas, by re-
duclng the cost of certain manufactured arti-
cles, is affording the producers Of these goods
an advantage over foreign competitors. 1t
seems possible that the cheapening of. manu-
featured iron due to this new source of fuel
supply may open to us foreign markets from
which we are now excluded. 1t is, therefore
interesting to consider whether, in other
countries, this gas is likely to be found in
large quantities. 1t appears probable that
n1ne Of the great seats of manufacturing in
tustry in western Europe are likely to find
any sources of supply of rock gas sufficiently
extensive to prove of value Eastern Europe
and all the great tract of undisturbed stra I'll
fed rocks in northern Asia are likely to afford
supplies of natural gas similar to our own. In
other parts Of Asia, as we'll as on the other
continents Africa, South America and Aus
tralia, it seems probable that there may be
abundant stores of this material. But so far
the development of this resource can be
determined by the general geological condi-
tions of the countries, it does not appear
likely that large supplies of natural gas may
be reckoned on n any of the industrial CEN
tiers Of the old world Therefore this particu-
lar commercial advantage is likely for the
present to remain peculiar possession of our
American manufacturers.
Under these conditions there seems no rea-
son for checking the reasonable enthusiasm
of the Hoosier over the fact that Indiana is
Gin the belt" Let him continue to rejoice,
and to dig more wells, and thus emphasize
the superiority Of his State over the sffete
regions of the old world.